Eric Arnett is one of 15 pitchers named a semifinalist for National Pitcher of the Year.

May 18, 2009

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - A pair of Indiana baseball players have been named semifinalists for national awards, it was announced today. Junior pitcher Eric Arnett was named one of 15 semifinalists for the College Baseball Foundation's National Pitcher of the Year, while junior catcher Josh Phegley is one of 13 semifinalists for the Coleman Company Johnny Bench Award, presented to the nation's top catcher.

Arnett is one of two pitchers in the Big Ten that was named a semifinalist, joining Ohio State ace Alex Wimmers. Phegley is also joined by a Buckeye on his semifinalist list, as catcher Dan Burkhart is the only other conference backstop on the Bench Award list.

Arnett has had a remarkable season, posting an 11-1 record and a 2.78 ERA with 93 strikeouts. In conference play he has been even better, going 7-0 with a 2.90 ERA. His 11 wins are the second-most in school history, while his 93 Ks are fourth on the single-season list. His seven conference wins are an Indiana record, while he trails only teammate Matt Bashore in the Big Ten's ERA leaders in conference games.

Phegley has followed up on his sophomore All-America campaign by upping his home run total to 17 this season after hitting 15 a year ago. His 17 longballs are sixth on Indiana's single season list while his 32 career bombs are eighth. The Terre Haute native is currently second in the Big Ten with 62 RBI on the year. He is in the conference's top 10 in nearly every category, including both slugging and on-base percentage.

Indiana will open the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday as the conference's three seed. The Hoosiers (28-25, 16-7 Big Ten) will take on Purdue (24-24, 11-12) at 3:35 p.m. in Columbus, Ohio, at Huntington Park, the AAA home of the Columbus Clippers. For more information on the Big Ten Tournament, go to www.bigten.org.